The Winter Blues

Posted on February 7, 2015

I've been struggling with everything from diet and exercise to just having energy to get through the day all winter long. I haven't consistently exercised since October/November. I use the same excuses- it's too cold or I'm too tired. It seems like I have the same problem every winter. I don't have any energy and I am just miserable. I have often wondered if I have SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), aka Winter Blues. There hasn't been much sun lately. I hate the cold so I stay indoors as much as possible. I am sure I have some sort of Vitamin D deficiency. Good news is that the temps should start warming up soon. The weather should be nice this weekend, with a high of 70. I will spend some time outdoors, soaking up sunlight. Hopefully that will give me more energy.

I haven't gained any weight because of this set-back I call winter, but I haven't lost any either. Luckily, I did so well in October that I still have a chance to make a comeback, but I will need to kick it into gear NOW! I don't know why we make things so much harder than they have to be. I wish I could view exercise as fun, but honestly I think of it as a chore. When I am exercising I think, "this isn't as bad as I made it out to be," but when it comes time to actually exercise it is like pulling teeth. I have a little less than 10 pounds to lose to win the Transformer in April. My goal for this month is to at least get to the 6% by the end of Round 5. I am close. I am struggling to find my balance, but I know that even if I do not reach my goal, any step forward is a success, no matter how slow I am going. I lost 8 pounds so far with DietBet. My grand total since starting a healthier lifestyle....down 18 pounds since 2013.

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Justin B.

02/22/2015 5:49PM

I saw your "winter blues" post. I have SAD. You can buy a special light online that really helps for around 40 bucks on amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Verilux-VT01WW1-HappyLight-Compact-Energy/dp/B00761HREI/ref=pd_sim_sbs_hpc_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0ZRMWW8N2JN0YVM3MAXS You may also want to get your Iron tested. I was dying just trying to get through work this winter and I ended up being slightly anemic. A good multivitamin should get you iron, vitamin c, all the b vitamins for energy, etc. Just my two cents.

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Brit

Thanks for the info. I was actually considering a light, but wasn't sure which one to get. I'll have to look into getting my iron levels tested too. Didn't think of that. Thanks!

Brit

02/09/2015 11:32AM

When life gets in the way, it does get hard. You are right though... just do it anyway. I figure even if I can't make up the difference, I can at least try and see how far I can go. Hopefully you can get back on track as well. Every little bit counts in the long run.

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Soup

02/08/2015 7:01PM

Hey lady, I definitely feel you on the losing ground. I haven't been able to get back on track since going home for Christmas and my pop's funeral. When I lived in Iowa I had a hard time with the cold, as well, and constantly made excuses to not be outside. I mean who really needs to go for a walk/jog in negative temps, no one. lol. I however thankfully had a crazy friend who on day's when the temp was above negative would go on walks through the city trails. Many of the trails had ice, snow, or some form of challenge but we would do our miles and would reward with a healthy brunch. Maybe you need a crazy friend locally. I know without my friend here I have no drive to get out and explore local trails here and I am currently in HI.(I know it's Hawaii but when you live here it is different) Keep your head up lady and when you think you can't just say I got this and do it anyway.